My 44# kettlebell and Jungle Gym were gathering dust, so I grabbed them both and headed to the park. Started out with my usual 12-min of yoga, and then proceeded to…
Circuit 1: Long Cycle KB Clean & Jerks/Jungle Gym Chins 3X5
Circuit 2: Jungle Gym Dips & Rows/Hindu Push-Ups 3X5
Circuit 3: 30/30 Two-handed KB Swings for 8-min
Finished with some KB Windmills and Planks. All in all, a great training session, though I had forgotten how much harder it is doing chins on the Jungle Gym!
Posted in Bodyweight Training, Conditioning, Kettlebells, Today's Workout
Tagged 30/30, Hindu squat, Jungle Gym, Kettlebell, Lifeline, Long Cycle Clean & Jerk, swings
The kettlebell One Arm Long Cycle Clean & Jerk is a great full-body exercise. It also is very functional, and can improve your performance in all sorts of physical activities. I think it’s especially good for martial artists. Here’s a video by top trainer Scott Sonnon explaining how to do it, step by step.
Posted in Kettlebells
Tagged Kettlebell, Long Cycle Clean & Jerk, Martial arts, Scott Sonnon
Very busy day today, so I didn’t really have the time or inclination to do a structured workout. So I did my usual 12-minutes of yoga and then just did a bunch of exercises–Hindu squats and push-ups, chins, presses and swings with a 35# kettlebell–until I got tired. Didn’t count sets or reps; didn’t keep track of time. Is this the ideal way to train? Maybe, maybe not. To me, the important thing was doing something physical and working up a good sweat. Structure matters, but doing something active every day matters more.
Posted in Bodyweight Training, Martial Arts, Today's Workout
Tagged chins, Hindu push-up, Hindu squat, Kettlebell, swings, Yoga
Twelve minutes of yoga. A couple sets of Hindu push-ups and squats. One-arm long cycle clean-and-jerks with a 35# KB; went nonstop for 7 minutes, switching hands every 5 reps. Two sets of 25 two-handed swings and 2 sets of 5 windmills. One more set of Hindu push-ups and squats, then planks, side planks, and other core work.
I love training outdoors. Giving up the gym and embracing workouts at the park was one of the best things I ever did for myself. USA Today reports on research that found exercising outside may have a potent impact on our emotional well-being:
As little as five minutes of “green” exercise — activity in the presence of nature — benefited all types of people, according to the researchers, who analyzed data on 1,252 people from 10 prior British studies.
The benefits? Improved self esteem and mood. Read the story here.
I am so fortunate to live in Hawaii, where I can train outside nearly all year long. Makes the high cost of living here worth it.
Posted in Fitness Philosophy
Tagged green exercise, Hawaii, Health, Mental Health, outdoors, Physical exercise, Self-esteem
Twelve minutes of yoga, followed by three sets of Hindu push-ups and squats. Then got some conditioning in with 12-min of burpee/boxing intervals. Tonight I look forward to Kali and Jiu-Jitsu!
Posted in Bodyweight Training, Conditioning, Today's Workout
Tagged boxing, Burpee (exercise), conditioning, Hindu push-up, Hindu squat, Kali
Decided to take out the 44# kettlebell today. Warmed-up with 12-min of yoga, then did a 5X5 routine of one-arm KB military presses supersetted with one-arm KB rows. Followed with 8-min of two-handed swings, 30/30 style. Finished with planks, side planks, and other core work.
Posted in Conditioning, Kettlebells, Today's Workout
Tagged Kettlebell, military press, planks, rows, swings
Chris Lopez has a great post on KettlebellWorkouts.com about the effectiveness of kettlebell swings on cardiovascular conditioning. He mentions research that revealed…
Continuous kettlebell swings can impart a metabolic challenge of sufficient intensity to increase Vo2max. Heart rate was substantially higher than Vo2 during kettlebell swings. Kettlebells provide a useful tool with which coaches may improve the cardiorespiratory fitness of their athletes.
Click here to read the entire post, and be sure to explore the rest of Chris’s site, which is packed with great info.
Posted in Conditioning, Kettlebells
Tagged Chris Lopez, Kettlebell, swings, Vo2max, Weight loss
Saturday I had a training session with my martial arts instructor, Burton Richardson. Spent an hour working on finishing the
triangle choke and escaping from side control. It was a very informative 60 minutes! Later that afternoon, fellow JKDU instructor Scott Ishihara and I helped Burton film his monthly training DVD. Again, very fun and informative.
Sunday was an active rest day. Twelve minutes of yoga, a couple of sets of Hindu squats and push-ups, then a leisurely 400 meter ocean swim at Magic Island.
Posted in Martial Arts, Today's Workout
Tagged Burton Richardson, DVD, Hindu push-up, Hindu squat, Mixed martial arts, Triangle choke
If you’re tired of standard, Western-style bodyweight exercises, give Hindu push-ups and squats a try. Here’s the great Clarence Bass discussing some of the moves popularized by Matt Furey.
After receiving quite a number of emails from people telling me about their positive experiences with Matt Furey’s system of bodyweight exercises, I decided to order his book and video and check it out for myself. Guess what? They’re right. I believe his calisthenics have value. His “Royal Court” of three bodyweight exercises is demanding – and fun. I’m not prepared to say that his system is better than a combination of weight training and high-intensity aerobics for producing functional strength and endurance, as he suggests, but it definitely deserves a place in a well rounded training program, at least occasionally. I can even see doing his bodyweight exercises exclusively when you need a change of pace, as we all do from time to time, or when traveling.
It only took two sessions with Furey’s Hindu Squats and the Hindu Pushups to convince me that he’s onto something worthwhile….
Read the rest here.
Fit Monkey Hawaii 